Metallic shipping-case.



W. A. DUNLAP.

METALLIC SHIPPING CASE.

APPLICATlON FILED MAR. 19, 1914.

1,138,643, Patented May11,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- FIGZ. J)

WITNESSES INVENTOR m WM. 013M11 N45 NORRIS PETERS 60., PHDT0 LITHOH WASHINGTON, D. C.

Patented May 11, 1915.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2- QIF W. A. DUNLAP.

METALLIC SHIPPING CASE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.19, 1914.

F IBB.

INVENTOR 0.. 13

THE NORIRIS PETERS (20., PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON n r FFTQE.

WILLIAM A. DUNLAP, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

METALLIC SHIPPING-CASE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that T, WILLIAM A. DUNLAP, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Shipping-Cases, of'which improvements the following is a specification.

It is the object of the invention to provide a metallic collapsible shipping case, which shall be of simple and light construction, consequently of small cost'and easily handled, and at the same time durable, not readilydamaged or disarranged, and when the parts are assembled and locked together in their operative relation, the structure as a whole will be extremely rigid and strong.

' In the accompanying drawings there is shown a case embodying the invention in its preferred form.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of such a case. Fig. 2 is a central transverse sectional view of the ease. Figs. 36 are details. Figs. 7 and 8 are details, showing a slightly modified form of hinge. Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view, and Fig. 10 a longitudinal sectional view, of the upper portion of a modified form of the case, and Figs. 11 and 12 details thereof. Fig. 13 is an edge view of the members of the case when folded together.

Referring first to Figs. 16, the body of the case is made up of the front and rear vertical side walls A and B, and the end walls 0 and D. These walls are preferably each made up of a single metal sheet, which may be plane-surfacedas shown, or may have any suitable cross-sectional form. The walls are hinged together at the corners of the case through the medium of the hingewires 1 and 2, which are bent about the edges of the front and rear walls A and B. At the corners of the case the sheets which form the walls are provided with integral alternately arranged projecting tongues 3, 4, which are bent about the vertical portions of the hinge-wires, each tongue beingthen bent back upon the inner face of its respective sheet, as shown in Fig. 5, and secured thereto by spot welding or otherwise. This forms what I term an anchored hinge, and I have found it to be of great advantage in imparting rigidity to the sheet metal walls. At the top and bottom of the case the horizontal portions of the hinge-wires 1, 2, are

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Application filed March 19, 1914. Serial No. 825,862.

bent outwardly from the plane of the vertical portions of these wires, as shown at 5,

Figs. 1 and 5, for a purpose to be hereinthe rear side wall B are hinged to the upper horizontal portion of the hinge-wire 2 in the same manner as heretofore described, namely, by means of alternately arranged integral projecting tongues, which are bent about the hinge wire and then secured to the respective body portions of wall and cover. The front edge of the bottom F and the lower edge of the front side wall A are in like manner hinged to the lower horizontal portion of the hinge-wire 1. The upper and lower'edges of the end walls C and D may be reinforced with wires if desired, but the case illustrated herein will be made sufiiciently strong by merely folding the metal of the edges of these end wall in any well known way.- i

Thebody portion 6 of the cover E is depressed so as to Ifit within the vertical walls of the case, and an upstanding marginal rim? is formed about the depressed body portion, the edge of the rim projecting over the edges of the end walls and front side wall of the case. The edge of the rim is also preferably bent downwardly so as to form a recess 8 underneath the rim, into which the'edges of the said vertical walls of the case will project when the cover is closed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The bottom'is preferably of the same form as the cover E. a

The inwardly set body portions of the cover E and bottom F add material strength and rigidity to the structure as a whole, and this effect is increased by bending the edge of the rim, as described, so as to overlap the edges of the vertical walls.

At the top of the case at the front, the upper edge 9 of the wall A is beaded so as to inclose the upper horizontal portions of the wire 1. But the wire 1 is cut away centrally at 10 and 11, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and within this top beaded edge 9 of the wall A, and between the opposite endsilO and 11 of the 'wire 1., is arranged a lockingmember 12 adapted to turn therein, which may also be made of wire. This lockingmember is provided with the integral loops 13 of any desired number, which project through elongated slots 14.- provided for them in the beaded edge 9 of the wall A and in the marginal rim 7 of the cover E. In

swinging the. cover on its hinges to the closed position shown in Fig. 1, the locking member 12 is turned so that these loops 13 point upwardly and pass through the slots 14: in the cover. Then when the cover is closed, the locking member 12 isturned so that the loops 13 he horizontally above the body portion 6 of the cover, and thus lock the cover in closed position. Under the central loop of the locking member, a loop 15 may be formed in the body of the cover by slitting the metal and raising it slightly as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, so that a locking wire may be threaded through the members referred to, and sealed in any suitable way, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The bottom F is, as has been said, preferably of the same construction as the cover E, being hinged at thelower edge of the front of the case, and being locked at the lower edge of the rear wall of the case in the same way as above described.

Instead of using hinge-wires, as shown, and as is preferred, these may in some cases be dispensed with, and a hinge such as is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 employed. Here one of the members 16'of the case is beaded at its edge, preferably by a double bead 17, and the other member 18 is provided with integral tongues 19-which passthrough slots ing lugs 23 which project upwardly through slots in the flaps and provided with eyes 2a through which a wire may be passed. In this construction the upper edges of the end walls may be beaded about an inclosed wire, as shown in Fig. 10.

The described arrangement of the hinges Y of the top and bottom members outside the vertical planes of the vertical wall members is of particular advantage, since it enables the top and bottom members to be folded back into fiat bearing contact with the wall members when the case is collapsed, as shown in Fig; 13.

'I claim as my invention: I

1. In a metallic packing case, the combination with vertical wall members hinged together at the corners of the case, of a top member hinged to the upper edge of one vertical wall member in a line outside the vertical plane of said wall member, and a bottom member hinged to the lower edge of the vertical wall member in a line outside of the vertical plane of said last mentioned wall member, said top and bottom members each having an inset body portion adapted to fit the opposite edge portions of said vertical wall members and thereby reinforce the structure against lateral strain.

2. In a metallic packing case, the combination with vertical walls, of a cover pivoted at the edge of one vertical wall, said cover having an inset body portion and an upstanding recessed rim, of a locking member carried by the opposite vertical wall and adapted to be turned inwardly from ver ical to horizontal position, and an'elongated slot in said upstanding rim adapted to receive thelocking member when the latter is in vertical position and to permit it to be turned into horizontal position overlying the body portion of the cover.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM A. DUNLAP. Y Witnesses:

MARSHALL A. OHRIs'rY,

FRANoIs J. TOMASSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, i

- Washington, D. G. 

